report because there is no progress to report. when it comes tothefiscalcliffthat'sthreatening our economy andthreateningjobs. thewhite house has wasted another week. >> one sign of optimism is when he was pressed by a reporter about tax rates, he seemed to leave the door open about some flexibility of negotiating with the white house. vice president biden said while rates have to go up it's negotiable what exact rate it is. whether it goes all the way up to the top rate to 39.6 like the clinton days. it seems like there is wiggle room on both sides. that may be where we get a deal if these two sides get together next week, shep. >> shepard: u.s. officials say the syrian regime has begun preparing for use a nerve gas, one that's capable of killing thousands of people. the question is is the syrian president bashar assad ready to unleash a chemical weapon on his own people. the latest analysis coming up. don't expect to start using your cell phones on airplanes. at least not yet. it could soon be okay to use your ipad, kindle and laptop takeoff and landing at least if one government heavy hitter gets his way. fri